At the center of your being you have the answer: you know who you are and you know what you want. ~ Lao Tzu
Over the years I have collected a pile of books that I hoped would help me "get" life. Some of them were great books that I enjoyed reading, still use for reference, and even quote from time to time. Some were fine for the moment, or fine in a limited capacity, and some were just not my cup of tea. The books that I liked best weren't necessarily books that told me anything new about myself. How could they? The author knew nothing about me, besides making general assumptions about people in her/his target demographic. Those books, written for an audience of thousands (and, in the author's most fervent hopes, even millions) of readers, helped me learn about myself by letting me recognize things about myself that I already knew. They gave me a better understanding of how I worked in my world - especially in regards to how my thoughts and feelings, strengths and weaknesses.
When it comes to insight, I'm happy to say that we'll never stop gathering it unless we stop breathing. We learn something new about ourselves or others or situations or processes even when we're lounging on the sofa eating an entire bag of tortilla chips while watching American Idol. Not that I've ever done that. Ever. We learn and we learn and we learn things that click for us, giving us those little "AHA" moments. Sometimes we become reacquainted with something that we already knew but had forgotten until that same or similar situation presented itself again. Insight is insight, whether it's old or brand, spanking new.
But if you're like me, you might choose to ignore the knowledge you hold for many reasons; veto your inner voice of reason. For instance, I go to bed far too late each night despite the clear insight I have each morning that peeling myself out of bed is painful and difficult on 4 hours of sleep. Insight does me no good unless I use it to change my behavior or decision process. Insight is worthless without action. If only I actually paid attention to lessons I've already learned and bothered to base my behavior and choices on all my hard earned wisdom...I could rule my world!
Today, being a day to recognize and honor insight (according to the April Plan), I challenge myself to...
- Pay attention to the things that I already know about myself, others and how the world works.
- Honor what I know, even while learning more.
- Use my insights, new and old, to guide my decisions and choices, even when ignoring what I know to be true will bring me more pleasure or cause me less work in the moment.
INSIGHT QUOTES
It takes real courage to endure the sharp pains of self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives. ~ Marianne Williamson
Your worst battle is between what you know and what you feel. ~ Unknown
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are. Anais Nin
It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes... we make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions - especially selfish ones. ~ Alexander Solzhenitsyn
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